Strive for Zero Waste – Properly Sort Household Trash

Alameda’s goal is to divert 89% of our waste from the landfill, in accordance with the City’s Public Works Zero Waste Implementation Plan . Overall, we’re doing pretty well, with 81% of our waste diverted. However, at public events in town where recycling, composting, and garbage bins are provided, it has been apparent that some of us don’t understand how to properly sort trash.

It’s unfortunate to miss an opportunity to recycle by throwing a recyclable item into the gray bin, but it’s potentially more destructive to contaminate the recycling or compost with items that should go in the gray bin. For example, contamination of recycling can lead to an entire load of recycling being sent to the landfill .  Today’s column is a refresher on how to properly sort trash to divert as much waste from landfills as possible and avoid cross contamination. Here’s a quick “cheat sheet” of what to put in which bin.

Green bin

The green bin is for compostable items, including yard trimmings, food scraps, and food-soiled paper. Yard trimmings include flowers, grass clippings, leaves, small branches less than six inches in diameter, and weeds.  Food scraps include meat trimmings, bones, egg shells, wine corks (non-plastic ones made out of cork), fruit pits, and seeds in addition to other food scraps.  Food-soiled paper products include used paper plates, cups, napkins, towels, coffee filters, and tea bags, as well as paper bags used to contain food scraps, newspapers used to wrap food scraps or line the cart, pizza boxes, wax paper, and wax-coated boxes (butter paper boxes and paper milk containers with the plastic pour spout removed), and wooden chopsticks.

Blue bin

The blue bin is for recyclable items, such as clean paper products, glass bottles and jars, aluminum, metal, and plastics.  Paper products include cartons (dairy, juice, soup, broth, and milk alternatives, along with catalogs, magazines, phone books, corrugated cardboard and paper boxes (large or multiple pieces should be flattened and/or cut), junk mail, newspaper (including inserts), and shredded paper (contained in a paper bag or box).  Glass bottles and jars should have their lids and caps removed and should be rinsed out to avoid cross-contamination.  Aluminum and metal items include food and beverage cans (rinsed), aluminum foil and containers, empty aerosol cans, empty and dry paint cans, pots and pans, and scrap pieces up to 30 pounds each.  Plastic bottles, jars, tubs, and trays labeled 1-7 also go in the blue bin.

ACI Extra Pickup items

Extra cardboard will be collected curbside if it is flattened, cut down to pieces no larger than 2 by 3 feet, and placed next to your blue bin. You can also place used motor oil in a sealed screw-top container (one gallon or less), and oil filters in a sealed plastic bag, next to your blue bin for pickup. Place used cooking oil in a screw-top container (one gallon or less) next to the green bin.  Place used household batteries in a zip-lock plastic bag and place it on top of your closed blue bin for pickup.

Gray bin

Most everything else goes in the gray bin, except for dirt, concrete, and hazardous materials. For hazardous waste drop-off locations please visit the Household Hazardous Waste website or call the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste team at 1-800-606-6606.

Gray bin items include non-recyclable glass like ceramics, drinking glasses, lightbulbs (no fluorescent), mirrors, and window glass.  Also, non-recyclable paper like carbon paper, laminated items, metallic wrapping paper, soiled paper used for cleaning, photographs, and vacuum bags. So do plastics that are NOT labeled 1-7, such as six-pack rings (please cut), plastic film and wrap, plastic plates and utensils, plastic straws and stir sticks, records, tapes, CDs, shower curtain liners, and tape (duct, packaging, masking). Textiles that can’t be donated or used as rags also go in the gray bin, including soiled cotton balls, rugs, mats, shoes, clothing, stuffed animals, and sponges.  Other miscellaneous items that go in the gray bin include balloons, clothes hangers (bring back to dry cleaner if in good shape), diapers, personal hygiene products, foam and Styrofoam®, garden or rubber hoses, bagged pet feces and litter, plastic bags, rubber bands, toothpaste tubes, toys (try donating first), and painted or stained wood.

You can further reduce what ends up in your gray bin by using a service such as Ridwell, which accepts plastic bags, plastic film, and cloth items.

If you would like to learn more about Alameda’s Zero Waste Implementation Plan and contribute to the discussion, please attend our Zero Waste Implementation Plan Community Workshop on Monday, August 26,  noon to 1:30 p.m., on Zoom. Register online for the workshop.

Let’s all work together to sort our trash properly and divert more from the landfill.

Joyce Mercado is an author and member of Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA). Her columns are collected at alamedapost.com/Joyce-Mercado . She can be reached at jlmercado246@gmail.com .

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